Norm Stamper, a 34-year veteran police officer and former chief of the Seattle police department, says open carry can add an element of confusion to police work, hampering suspect IDs at crucial moments.
“The difficulty [of] distinguishing a law-abiding gun owner from one who is about to, or has committed, or is [in the act of] committing a violent crime is oftentimes impossible to determine” when multiple people on the scene are openly carrying weapons, Stamper told me. “Even the best, most intuitive, calmest, most professional police officers are not mind readers. Until somebody engages in some form of action, threatening or criminal in nature, the officer has no idea what that person's motive is.”
“Not a single one of these people carrying firearms out there in [Dallas] caught this guy in what he was doing,” Bob Gualtieri, of the Florida Sheriffs Association, told Reuters. “It drained law enforcement resources and subjected citizens to being unnecessarily taken into custody, and I think we should all be very grateful that nobody else got hurt.”
In numerous cases, the “good guy with a gun” theory pushed by the NRA and its adherents has failed to prove itself. Of the many mass shootings that occur in this country every year, it’s extremely rare that an armed citizen saves the day.
I do not see this as a war between Law Enforcement and NRA. And I understand, after Dallas tragedy during the Black Lives Matter protest, how open carry laws hinder the jobs of our Law Enforcement officers. Ironically every day I choose to carry, I pray, I recognize to myself that I am not carrying to save the day. I am carrying to protect my family and myself first and foremost. Personally I choose concealed. I do however recognize open carry without judgement and feel the more timid people or people with no understanding of open carry are exposed to it the less evil it will appear with time.
I have little patience for Political Correctness. Even less patience for those who wish to impose another amendment to our 2nd amendment.We have talked about these issues before here.
The problem with these valid points shared by our Law enforcement officers is the complete lack of honor today. Wars are fought without honor where terrorism is involved. Bad people committing bad acts with weapons have no honor. I can only speak for myself and hope the same is true for my children. If I were ever in a crowd & pulled to the side and detained by law enforcement, while carrying concealed or open, my personal utmost respect for Law Enforcement would result 99% in a positive outcome. I cannot say the same for a scenario where there is an active shooter & I have made the decision to bring out my defensive weapon in an attempt to take out the bad person to protect life. By fault of my own I admit while training I have never placed myself as falsely appearing to be the bad guy by Law Enforcement. I have always seen myself as appearing to only be a helpful person in the fight against a bad guy with law enforcement(15%) or law enforcement is not yet present(85%), in my scenarios of training. I now need some additional focus and training towards this.
If law enforcement were on stage I would not be looking to aid them unless the situation turned needing my action. If law enforcement were not on stage during a life threatening act my action may come into the act as needed taking everyone's safety into account. With this article, now I have much more to consider.
This should be a great discussion here.